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Why can gas feel like chest pain and a heart attack make your jaw hurt?

-Seth, Blue Bell, PA

This is due to the way our nerves are wired through our torso and visceral organs. The sensory input from an organ travels up your spinal cord and literally mixes in with messages from, say, your arm or neck. So the physical manifestation of pain can appear all over. This is why diagnosing people in the ER can be so difficult. Help your doctor by describing exactly what hurts, how badly, and for how long. More details lead to faster care.